Rachel Sylvester

When Juliet Stevenson and Lia Williams played Elizabeth I of England and Mary Queen of Scots in Robert Icke’s memorable Almeida production of Mary Stuart a few years ago, the play opened with a coin spinning in a bowl. The actors alternated between the two roles and it was “heads or tails” to determine who should play which part each night. When the result was announced, everyone else on the stage turned instantly towards Elizabeth. It was a perfect illustration of how authority is not asserted by a leader, but bestowed by those around the centre of power.

There are echoes of this exquisite theatrical moment in the current political drama. It is becoming increasingly clear that the actors on the Tory stage have turned away from Boris Johnson. Already, as the prime minister’s political and moral authority evaporates, the debate in the Conservative Party has switched from whether he should be protected to who should inherit his crown. Johnson’s premiership is over. It’s just a question of when and how he leaves No 10.

I am writing before the publication of Sue Gray’s report into the Downing Street parties. By the time this piece comes out, events may have accelerated towards their inevitable outcome. Most Tory MPs never loved Johnson. They voted for him to be their leader because they thought he was a winner.